Reya shoved the door to the bathroom open without care as she made straight for the toilet. She didn’t need to look at her reflection in the mirror to see how green she was. She fell to her knees and hurled everything she’d eaten that day.
It wasn’t the first time it had happened in recent days. At first, she’d thought it had been the food. When nobody else got sick the way she did, Reya guessed that maybe she’d fallen ill. Surprisingly, Adrian was perfectly fine despite his constant close contact with her.
After emptying her stomach, she rested her head on her arms, waiting for the next round of nausea. A soft knock on the door interrupted her misery, forcing her to lift her head. Adrian stood at the entrance of the bathroom, concern etched into his face.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Not really,” Reya replied miserably. “I can’t seem to keep my food down anymore. Everything I eat just makes me want to puke.”
“It’s been happening more and more lately,” Adrian said as he walked over. He gently rubbed her back, eliciting a soft sigh from Reya. “I think it’s time we go see Kell.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Reya said, waving off Adrian’s concern. A fresh wave of nausea came crashing into her, and she quickly learned that there was more left in her stomach than she’d thought. Adrian, bless his heart, gave her the space she needed. “Fine,” she said once she was certain the moment had passed. “Maybe we should go see Kell.”
Adrian helped Reya up and together they hobbled their way over to the ship. Luckily, nobody was around to ask questions and so the couple made it swiftly to their destination unimpeded. They didn’t have a comm on them, so they were banking on Kell already being in the med bay.
The doors to the med bay opened, revealing Kell sitting at his desk. The unexpected noise made him look up towards the source, only to see Adrian and a very sick-looking Reya standing in the entrance.
“What happened?” Kell asked, standing up and wasting no time to tend to his patient. Reya, aided by Adrian, gave a rundown of the situation, causing Kell to frown. He turned towards Adrian. “Could you please step out while I tend to Reya and run some tests on her?” he asked.
“Of course, doctor,” Adrian said seriously. “I’ll be waiting right outside the med bay if you need me.” He swiftly left, leaving Reya and Kell behind.
“I’m going to need you to lie down for a moment while I prepare the equipment for testing,” Kell ordered Reya. She complied without so much as a word and was soon resting on one of the beds. Kell went towards the medicine cabinet and rummaged for something to help with the nausea. He handed her a small cup of yellow sirup, which Reya eagerly took.
The medicine worked its magic and within moments, Reya was already feeling better. “That’s better,” she said, relieved. She focused back on Kell. “Do you know what’s wrong with me?” she asked, afraid there might be something wrong with her organs.
“I have some suspicions,” Kell said, “but given your new physiology, I can’t rule anything out. We’ll run some tests to rule out anything major and we’ll narrow it down from there. Does that sound alright to you?” he asked.
Reya nodded. “Yes,” she said.
Kell quickly fetched some special sensors and hooked Reya up to several different medical devices. He knew that Reya’s new baseline was not similar to an ordinary a’vaare, so he took that into account when reading the measurements. After an hour of running various tests, he was happy to announce that there was nothing overtly wrong with her.
Reya sagged in relief. “If it’s nothing major, then why do I feel so horrible lately?” she asked.
Kell hesitated. “Have you been intimate with Adrian lately?” he asked.
“Yes?” Reya replied, frowning. “Regularly since his return and especially after learning the war was over.” She thought for a moment, connecting the dots. “Wait,” she breathed, “you don’t think…” she trailed off.
Kell nodded. “I do,” he said. “It was my first suspicion when you listed your symptoms earlier, but I wanted to be certain it wasn’t something else first. I’m going to take some blood and run one last test.” Reya acquiesced, and Kell took his sample, this time looking for very specific marker. He double checked his work before looking back up with a soft smile. “Congratulations,” he said warmly, “you’re pregnant.”
Reya gasped, tears immediately welling in her eyes out of joy. “How is this possible?” she asked, not daring to believe that such a miracle had been bestowed upon her.
“You’ve been changing into whatever Adrian has become ever since we rescued you from the facility several years ago,” Kell said. “Given that you now have the same organs and nanites in your system, I think it’s safe to say that you’re now genetically compatible.”
“By the dead gods,” Reya hiccupped. “So I’m really pregnant?” she asked.
“Yes,” Kell confirmed once more. “Should I bring Adrian over so we can announce the good news?” Reya nodded and Kell went to fetch a very nervous Adrian, who had been patiently waiting the whole time right outside the med bay, like he said he would.
Adrian followed behind Kell and immediately grew alarmed seeing Reya crying. He rushed over to her side. “Is everything alright?” he asked, almost tripping over his words out of worry. He turned to Kell. “Did you find something with your tests?” he asked fearfully.
“I’ll let Reya be the one to tell you,” Kell said, trying not to smile and ruin the surprise.
Adrian whipped his head back to Reya, his heart hammering in his chest. Reya grabbed both of his hands and looked him in the eyes. “We’re pregnant,” she said softly, overcome with emotion.
Adrian froze, eyes wide. “We are?” he asked. Hope swelled in his chest, a feeling as alien to him as his new physiology. Reya nodded and Kell confirmed the fact. Adrian broke down crying and collected Reya into a long hug, taking care not to squeeze too hard. He pulled back and gave her a gentle, loving kiss. “This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time,” he laughed joyously, hardly able to believe the miracle they’d been blessed with.
Reya smiled fully, relieved by Adrian’s reaction to the news. “We’re going to have a family together,” she said, giddy. “Oh by the dead gods, this is a dream come true.” She collected Adrian into another hug and the couple stayed like that, oblivious to their surroundings. “To think, after everything they did to us, we’re going to bring life into this world.”
Kell gave them what he felt was an appropriate amount of time before speaking up. “Congratulations to the both of you,” he said once more. “Do you intend to tell the others?” he asked.
“Yes!” Reya exclaimed. Adrian nodded, sharing the sentiment.
“Wonderful,” Kell said warmly. “Do you want me to be the one to tell High Command or should you?” he asked.
The couple immediately froze as the happy moment abruptly came crashing down. “Do we need to?” Adrian asked. “Is it really any of their business knowing?”
“I’m afraid it is,” Kell replied. “You’re both officially the progenitors of an entirely new species. They’re going to want to protect you to make sure nothing happens. Besides, you’re not going to be able to hide it for very long. I don’t see the harm in letting them know early.”
Reya chewed her lip. “You’re right,” she admitted. “You can be the one to tell them, given that you’re the doctor. But I do not want them interfering with our family,” she said adamantly. “That,” she said, “is absolutely none of their business.”
“I’ll be sure to pass on the message,” Kell said. “Now then, I’ll leave you both to celebrate while I make the report. Perhaps hold off on telling the others before then?” he suggested.
Adrian and Reya agreed and were promptly shooed out of the med bay so that they could go celebrate the joyous occasion. They left hand in hand with beaming smiles so bright that it warmed Kell’s heart to see.
Once they were gone, he made the call to High Command, ready to make his happiest report yet.
***
Rann sat in the Captain’s chair on the bridge, waiting for Kell. With Jyn’s removal from the team, she’d earned a promotion and was now the leader. She’d been summoned by Nessah to receive new orders but didn’t understand why Kell needed to be there as well. It marked the first instance of another member being present while she received orders directly from Nessah.
Kell arrived several minutes later. “Good, we’re alone,” he said, looking around as he walked towards Rann. Naturally, he was already aware of the reason behind the current meeting. Nessah had proposed he be present as well, given that it was medically sensitive in nature.
Rann frowned. “Of course we’re alone,” she said. “If you’re here as well, does that mean someone is ill?” she asked. She never had the time to receive a response when an incoming call from Nessah appeared on the holoscreen in front of her. Rann wasted no time in accepting the call, eager to get on with receiving their orders so that she could rejoin the others back inside.
Kell stood closer to Rann when Nessah’s image appeared so that he would also be included in the call. Nessah’s eyes flicked towards him briefly before settling back on Rann. “Captain,” she said politely, “High Command has new orders for your team.” Rann nodded without speaking and Nessah continued. “You are to protect Reya and Adrian at all costs, from any harm.”
Rann’s frown returned, deeper this time. “We’re already doing that,” she said, confused. “How does what you’re ordering differ from what we’re already doing?” she asked.
“You will no longer be the sole team responsible for their protection,” Nessah said. “Instead, your team will take charge of their protection detail.”
“How many other teams will be operating under us?” Rann asked.
“Three,” Nessah replied succinctly. “As you might have already surmised, you won’t be staying at the safe house forever. High Command wants to reintegrate the both of them back into society. This comes with risks, as public sentiment is mixed right now after so much death and destruction. Adrian and Reya have become symbols for what happened, and not everyone understands that they were perhaps the biggest victims of the war.”
“I understand,” Rann said. “Why now, though?” she asked. “We’ve been doing just fine here at the safe house. Wouldn’t it be more prudent to stay low here while people cool down and then attempt to reintroduce them to society at large?”
“That was the original plan,” Nessah confirmed. “However, things have changed.” She looked directly towards Kell. “I’m assuming that nobody else has been told yet?” she asked him.
“Not yet,” Kell confirmed. “They held off at my request, and I’ve confirmed that nobody else knows right now.”
“Good,” Nessah said. “Captain, there’s been an update regarding Reya’s health. She is now our highest profile person of interest, perhaps even more so than Adrian. Absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing,” she stressed, “must happen to her. She will need specialized medical attention beyond what your ship is designed for.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Rann asked, alarmed. “Is her body rejecting the organs? Why now, after all this time?” she said, jumping to conclusions.
Nessah chuckled softly, a small smile forming. “It’s nothing of the sort,” she said, dismissing Rann’s concerns. “In fact, I’ll let them be the ones to tell you what’s going on. This call now is to inform you that things will be changing going forward and that your team is to assume more responsibility regarding their protection.”
Nessah proceeded to outline how the following weeks would unfold, giving Rann and Kell specific instructions on how to handle the situation without revealing the news to Rann. By the time the call ended, Rann was thoroughly confused.
“What in the dead gods was that all about?” Rann asked Kell. “Do you know what’s wrong with Reya?”
“Nothing’s wrong with her,” Kell said warmly. “In fact, why don’t we go talk to them now. I asked them to wait for us in the living room back at the house while we took this call.”
“They knew High Command was going to issue new orders about them and they were fine with it?” Rann said, bewildered. “That’s new.”
“There’s a lot that’s new,” Kell said cryptically. At his insistence, the two of them left the bridge and made their way back to the safe house. Rann badgered Kell with questions along the way, demanding to know why she couldn’t get a straight answer out of her superiors. Though she didn’t outright say it, she suddenly understood Jyn a little better when people kept vital information from him throughout his guarding Adrian. It was vexing, and there was little Rann could do about it.
It wasn’t long before Kell opened the front door and they entered the house. Rann made straight for the living room, not bothering to take her boots off. She was met with a small gathering. Everybody except Jyn and Ava were present, with Reya and Adrian sitting together on one of the couches, holding hands. They both exuded a nervous energy, alarming Rann even further as she jumped to all the wrong conclusions.
“What’s going on?” Rann said, asking the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue. “Is everything alright? Nobody would tell me anything,” she said, shooting Kell an accusatory glare to which he simply shrugged.
“We were going to wait for everybody to gather,” Reya said nervously, “but given the people missing, this is perhaps the best time to make our announcement.” She clutched Adrian’s hand tighter, hoping dearly that the others would take the news well. Her heart hammered in her chest, but Adrian’s touch grounded her. Rann motioned for her to continue and Reya sucked in a deep breath. She glanced one last time at Adrian, his pride giving her the courage to speak. “We’re pregnant,” she announced.
For a moment, nobody spoke. Rann froze, trying to process what Reya had just said. An ecstatic squeal from Tassie shattered the confused silence permeating the air. Before Reya knew what was happening, she was scooped into a hug from her friend.
“That’s amazing!” Tassie exclaimed, exuding the same joy Adrian felt. There was no guile to her words, which sent relief coursing through Reya. “Congratulations,” Tassie continued as she let go of Reya. She then collected Adrian into a hug as well. “How is this possible?” she asked.
“We’re not entirely sure,” Adrian said. “Our best guess is that we’ve both finally transformed into the same species and that’s what allowed us to be genetically compatible.”
Rann finally unfroze. “Congratulations,” she stammered. She whirled towards Kell. “You knew!” she accused, though there was no bite to her words. “How long have you known?” she asked, laughing.
“It’s only been a few hours,” Kell replied, smiling. “High Command agreed to let Reya and Adrian be the ones to share the news, which is why General Nessah was so vague during our call. I hope you’re not too mad with us.”
“How could I ever be angry?” Rann asked, tears of joy welling in her eyes. “This is some of the best news I’ve ever had!” she said. Following Tassie’s footsteps, she gave Reya and Adrian a warm hug each. “You’ll both make wonderful parents,” she said reassuringly. “I can’t wait to meet the little one.”
The others followed suit, offering their congratulations and hugs of their own, unable to keep from smiling as they regarded the parents to be with excitement. The group’s reaction did much to assuage Reya’s fears of motherhood. If everybody in her entourage was so confident that she and Adrian would make for good parents then maybe, just maybe, there was a kernel of truth she could believe in.
After all, today was a day of miracles. Perhaps it was time to have a little faith in herself.
“I guess all that’s left is to go tell Jyn the news and hope he doesn’t overreact,” Adrian said once everybody had said their warm words. He glanced towards the back door. Jyn and Ava were outside by the firepit having a conversation, and Adrian hadn’t wanted to interrupt. Now, however, he figured it was an appropriate time to go speak with them. He saw no point in hiding the news until later. He only hoped that Jyn wouldn’t be too upset given his feelings for Reya.
He stood up and Reya followed suit. The couple left the joyous occasion in the living room, ready to go face their biggest hurdle yet. Despite what would have previously been an insurmountable problem, they both felt ready to face the world. After all, founding a family together was their dream come true, and they would let nothing stand in their way.
They opened the door, ready to face what came next.